Everyone needs a portfolio! Oftentimes scholarships, internships and even job applications require online portfolios instead of physical clips. Your portfolio is a showcase of your best work, skills and potential. You want to be able to show what you can do off to the world.

GATHERING CONTENT FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO

 Step One: Collecting your work

The first thing you need for a portfolio is your own work. For different kinds of work, different formats are recommended.

If you’re a reporter:

Stories are easiest to read when the full text is on your website. If the story was published in print only, put the text of the story directly on your site. However, include a photo of the page if you can.

If your story is published online and not behind a paywall, then just link to the story.

If you’re a photographer:

Show us your beautiful photos! Pick out only your favorites and create a gallery. Don’t forget to include the original captions with the photos because people will want to know the context of the photo.

If you’re a designer:

If you do print work, you can create galleries of your favorite designs. It’s best to export pages as PNG images at around 300 resolution. Make sure you note where your work was originally published.

If you’re a web designer, take screenshots or link directly to the webpages you’ve done.

In addition to providing samples of your work, you should write a paragraph or two about the work that went into creating it. You could talk about why you chose the assignment or why you included a certain part.

Step Two: Making a Resume

You should create a resume in either Microsoft word or InDesign. You can find tons of free templates online.

For your resume you will need:

• Contact information
• Work experience
• Activities and awards
• Skills
• References

Before you can start piecing your portfolio together, you need to set up a www.wordpress.com account. Once you create an account, the site gives you steps and tips to help you get it all set up. 

Watch the video below to see how it’s done.